Today represents a momentous landmark in the children’s rights calendar, being as it is 20 years to the day that the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  To mark the occasion, our State of children’s rights in England report is launched.

The Convention is the most widely adopted international legal instrument, against which all of our laws, policies and services for children and young people should be judged. The State of Children’s Rights in England report comprehensively sets out to address many of the recommendations, expressed as ‘Concluding Observations’, that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child made to the UK Government on the occasion of its third and fourth (consolidated) examination in October last year. Given that government has now had over a year to digest and respond to the UN Committee’s findings, this year’s State of Children’s Rights in England report probably reflects a fairer test of how we are taking forward UN recommendations for meeting our international children’s rights obligations.

However, the fact remains that the Government is breaching directly and systematically several important rights for children. The areas where we continue to do most wrong by our children – for example in matters of criminal justice, equality, media reporting, asylum-seeking and child abuse – are those where, as a society, we have clearly failed to give sufficient regard and emphasis to children’s human rights.

On launching the report Mike Lindsay, CRAE's national coordinator, said 'The Government has set itself an ambitious programme of reform for children and young people, taking forward the measures set out in its Children’s Plan. The Children’s Plan: One Year On details progress that is being made. However, while this has commendable aspirations for our children, basing these plans on the rather narrow Every Child Matters programme is no substitute for the comprehensive framework provided by the UNCRC. The Government’s progress still falls well short of meeting its international obligations under the UNCRC'.

Government can point to record levels of spending on children’s protection, health, education, engagement in making a positive contribution and economic well-being; and to good initiatives to drive forward its reforms. However, whilst many of its achievements towards improving children’s well-being are undeniable, that only forms part of the narrative. This year’s ‘State of Children’s Rights in England’ report identifies as common narratives:

• That Government has failed to provide a coherent and comprehensive coordination of children’s rights under UNCRC;
• That Government has failed to ensure the effective and consistent implementation of its policies and legislation for children and young people;
• That Government has failed to understand that without first promoting the highest regard for children’s rights, its efforts to improve children’s protection, health, education, engagement in making a positive contribution and economic well-being all too often become far less effective than they could be.

Mike Lindsay added 'It is the Government’s own stated ambition to make this country "the best place in the world for children to grow up". To achieve that commendable aim we call on the Government to show the courage and political will necessary by taking the lead in making children’s rights everybody’s business.'